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September 19th 2018

Ray & Greg joined me today on yet another major cold front outing. Ray didn’t want sturgeon, but was looking for bass and maybe walleye instead. I brought the tackle along just in case!

We headed out in a big NE wind that had me fishing a current break from the opposite direction. It seemed that the wind was stronger than the usual speed of the current, pushing us upstream. Although tough, it wasn’t impossible and Ray managed to get a nice smallie, tossing a blade bait. Greg was new to fishing all together and wasn’t having much luck. I made some casts and hooked up several times while we were there. Most of the strikes were short but I was able to land a few fish regardless.

After trying the first area for quite a while in overcast and big winds, I decided to make a move to another area further away in hopes of better results. We were going to fish shallow to try and get away from the winds!

As soon as I arrived, I knew it would be better as the water was a whole lot calmer. They both had several bites on soft plastic baits but again it was only Ray that landed anything. Greg was having a hard time setting the hook and missed several. I tried to show them what to do and ended up landing 3 or 4 in as many casts. The fish were definitely here! I also tried to explain the cadence of working the baits and once Ray changed his rhythm, he set into a nice one almost immediately.

We had been at this for almost the entire morning now and I wasn’t really seeing great results anywhere. I would have to go out to deeper water and try drop shotting if we had any chance of better fish. After fishing a couple of other shallow areas, they asked if we could try for sturgeon instead as they both needed a break from casting. I gladly obliged and we were off to fish for the giants!

I didn’t have to look for long before I managed to locate what I wanted and anchored up quickly. The winds were still out of the NE and I set the drift sock in place to keep the boat firmly holding straight.

With lines in, we began our wait for the first legitimate bite. Several false hits were had from the fish bumping into the lines before I set into a real bite and it was game on! Greg took the rod and we cleared everything in order for him to fight his fish. It was a strange battle as the fish came in rather quickly for its size. No jumps or long runs, just docile and cooperative by comparison to all the others I’ve landed. In less than 5 minutes I netted his catch and readied him for a few pics. By the size of the fish, it should have taken a lot longer to bring in but for some reason it didn’t. Oh well, he got lucky this time!

After a few pics and a release, we were back in the game, wanting more! With fish still marking on the screen, I knew it was just a matter of time before we had another bite. Eventually I saw the rod bounce and was able to lock them up on another good fish. I thought Ray was going to take the rod but instead he insisted that Greg fight the fish as he was from France and wouldn’t get another chance to do this again. No problem, round two for Gregory!

This time he wasn’t as fortunate with the battle as the sturgeon acted more normal, beating him up pretty good. Still no jumps but plenty of good long runs and bottom hugging from one side to the other. I had to take the rod from him several times as she went under the boat often. It took Greg over 10 grueling minutes of punishment to finally bring the fish close enough for me to land. Now he knew what the fight was suppose to feel like! Easy part over, hard part about to come! When he held the fish for the photos he realized just how big it was and struggled just to hold on. We made it quick and shot fast before releasing his beast back where it belonged.

I reset the lines after and knew we would have another bite as there’s never two without three! Unfortunately the next fish was on the small side and a real baby. I showed them the sharp back bones and side scoots and they were amazed at the difference between adults and juveniles.

I really wanted to get Greg another one and set the lines one more time in hopes of something really big. Well not too long after, I reared back on a good bite and knew this was the one. I barely moved the fish on the hookset! She made several long runs and took out over 150 feet on the first one. Greg was in for a long battle! I would have liked to see her jump but this was another fight done entirely under water. This fish was so heavy that all he could do was hang on. Many times he would gain, only to lose all the line and even more when she ran. I’m sure the fight lasted close to 15 minutes before she was boatside. I coached him on bringing it closer and was finally able to net this giant. Relieved that the fight was over, he wasn’t looking forward to the pics. Ray actually had to help him hold the fish as he wouldn’t have been able to do it alone. Several quick, painful shots later, she was returned unharmed. What an absolute beast!

After all of this, they decided that they were done for the day, I packed everything up and readied the boat, happy for the outcome of this day. It may have been a challenge for bass in these cold front conditions but the sturgeon were a different story. They cooperated just fine! In just a couple of hours they were able to get into some really nice fish that ended with a bang. I believe that this fish may have been the largest one so far this season! Both Ray and Greg got to see what the waters surrounding Montreal hold and these dinosaurs are big! Greg will be heading back to France soon and bragging about the river monsters of the St. Lawrence. Now he’ll have plenty of pics to back him up too!

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September 18th 2018

Scott was back with me again today and this time he brought Chris, (AKA Frenchie) along as well. They weren’t looking for anything in particular, just to catch fish! I would be going to several areas and hoping to hook them up in all. Maybe even a dinosaur or two!

We got a slightly later start as they drove in early this morning and were fishing before 8:00. First spot had them drop shotting in deeper water and despite several missed strikes, they only managed to get into one nice bass and a couple of walleye. Although I was marking fish, they didn’t seem to want their offerings and a move was made.

The next place saw similar success but with a twist. While I was spot fishing the area with them, I managed to hook into a small walleye that almost got eaten by a good sized lunge. It followed the hooked fish all the way to the boat and I had to lift it out of the water so as not to be eaten. Chris was right beside me and also saw the submarine image chasing the walleye. I guess it was his lucky day! Several casts later I was hooked up on a small bass and it wasn’t as fortunate. Right before I was to land it, another smaller musky attacked the smallie and line began to scream from my reel. Although short lived, it wasn’t pretty for the bass! I eventually reeled the little guy in only to find some jaw patterned marks all over each side. He too was lucky as he only ended up scarred for life!

I had changed locations again due to old toothy and now had them throwing soft plastics over another area. They both made multiple casts over a long stretch of water but only Scott was able to hook any fish. He managed to land a handful of good smallies but none photo worthy!

I had wanted to take them for sturgeon but throughout the morning the winds were blowing pretty good and anchoring up would have been difficult. Eventually the winds layed down enough to make a move and we were heading for the big dogs now! I was pleasantly surprised to see only one other boat out there and began idling over the area in search of some fish.

With rods set, it didn’t take long before we had some action. Unfortunately it was due to all the fish bumping into our lines and not actual bites! Eventually one made a mistake and opened its mouth to eat and I reared back on something solid. Frenchie was first up and I handed him the rod to fight his fish. This thing fought like a giant but when it jumped we saw that it was just an average sized sturgeon. About five minutes later I netted his catch and gave it to him for several pics. After a quick release we were back in and wanting more!

Another bite soon after had Scott battling a smaller one and this time I gloved it instead of using the net. Despite its size, the fish still put up quite a fight and took several minutes to land. These things can pull no matter how small they are!

We had been having all kinds of action from fish bumping into the lines and I knew it was just a matter of time before we had another take. Sure enough I noticed a small bite on the middle rod and set into something large. Chris took the rod and began to do battle with the real deal! After a couple of spectacular jumps his fish decided to make long runs and stay on the bottom. It fought hard and took a while before he was able to bring it boatside for me to net. Not overly fat but extremely long, this fish was the biggest so far today. I think he was glad to release the beast after several pics as it was also quite heavy!

We were still seeing plenty of marks on the bottom and I was pretty sure we would have more action. This time however, Scott picked up the rod when it bit, set into one of his own. Another lengthy battle filled with jumps and runs and bottom hugging had him landing his fish 5 minutes later. It was definitely bigger than his first one but he decided that he didn’t need any pics and the fish was released after the hook was removed.

I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be staying, but Scott managed to get another hookup on his own and figured we’d give it a little longer. This time however, he brought to net a drum that was also released immediately after the hook removal. With the winds picking up slightly I had to use the aid of the electric motor to remain where I was and we held there for about another 30 minutes without any more action. Time to pull the plug completely!

After packing everything up, I decided to end the day with some more smallies and headed to an area to fish. Unfortunately there was a boat close to where I wanted to go and I decided to hit another area instead. No sense educating them on where to fish and what to do!

With limited time remaining, we covered a shallow flat and only landed one good bass. There were several others that followed but nothing seemed to want to bite. I had also seen a wind beginning from the north and a major temperature change occurring. In fact, the winds kicked up so bad that there were huge rollers building on the main lake. It wasn’t going to pretty going back! I informed them that they most likely had seen there last fish with this weather change and we packed everything up and headed back.

The run back was a little rough with the winds coning out of the north and the waves were good size as I neared the channel. Fortunately with the new motor on the Ranger, it made for a dry, comfortable ride!

Today may have started out a little slow but by mid day the fishing picked up and many good fish were landed. Although mostly dinosaurs, Frenchie and Scott were happy to have caught them. I think that in the weeks to come, there will be even bigger monsters boated along with some great bass & walleye action too! I can’t wait for the cooler weather to arrive!!

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September 17th 2018

Phil and I hit the water this morning after a bunch of failed attempts at fishing this season. I had tried to get him out but our schedules never matched. The winds forecasted for today wouldn’t be nice but I thought we’d give it a try anyway.

I took him straight for sturgeon as he hadn’t landed one in two years. Hopefully I would be able to anchor up if the winds got too big! They were suppose to arrive before 10:00 and gust over 20 knots from the SW, but fortunately we started in much less!

After a little idling over the area, I dropped anchor where I thought I wanted. Unfortunately it didn’t hold and I was forced to move before we even wet a line. Although not too big, the winds had made us drift too close to another boat and I wasn’t going to stay. I decided to try again and this time used the aid of the electric as well. No problem the second time around!

With a couple of lines down, we waited with rod in hand for a bite. Phil set into the first one and although not too big, it did fight pretty hard. One leap confirmed its size and I decided to tail it instead of using the net. We were not skunked and Phil had caught his first sturgeon in two years!

We reset the lines after releasing the fish and I noticed that the winds had increased. They were gusting pretty good but the combination of anchor and electric motor anchor feature had us holding strong. It wasn’t too long after that I felt a hit and reared back on another. This one felt pretty good and I gave the rod to Phil to fight. For some reason it wanted to stay down and mostly under the boat! Although she had several good runs, Phil had to reach over the motor multiple times as this fish kept moving from one side to the other. In under ten minutes however, he was able to bring her up, for me to net. This one was quality and I needed some pics before the release! Phil had caught most of his sturgeon later in the season and was always dressed heavier than today. This time he was in shorts and a t shirt and didn’t realize that the fish can create a rash, if their body comes in contact with your skin. Sure enough, he found this out the hard way when it began to develop on one of his arms. It never lasts but can cause a slight burning if not rinsed afterwards!

With the winds blowing pretty hard now, I wasn’t sure how much longer we would be able to remain here. I was glad we stayed though as Phil set the hooks into another sturgeon a little while after releasing the last one. This thing was just insane with crazy runs and one great leap. Although smaller than the previous sturgeon it gave a great fight and required the net once again. We had overcome the elements and somehow managed to catch 3 nice fish in the process. We also tried a little while longer but eventually realized it was too rough to even feel the bites. Time to relocate and change to a different species!

I wanted Phil to get into some nice smallies and headed to an area that I knew held quality. I showed him how to fish the bait and it wasn’t long before his rod was bent. Not only had he nailed a good one but there were others with it! I knew he was going to get plenty more and didn’t waste much time with the pics. Right back in, he was hit again on his very next cast! This one was slightly smaller and released immediately after being landed. Phil was amazed at how many there were in the area along with the size. He could see others following his bait on almost every cast and although he did miss many, he still hooked into a bunch. This went on for a while before I repositioned the boat and hit another area nearby. It was game on, all over again! He could barely get the bait in the water and fish were fighting over it. Schooling bass are incredibly competitive and even when you miss one, another hits you right away. This feeding frenzy went on for a while with the big waves we were in. I was glad that he got to fish through a period like this on a day that he wasn’t sure he would even get out.

I’m not really sure how many bass were landed but between the two of us, there were plenty. Unfortunately the day passed by quickly between the sturgeon & the smallies and before we knew it, it was time to go. Several last casts later, we headed back to the ramp to take out. I had wanted to bring him to open water for walleye late in the afternoon and was glad I hadn’t as the waves were even bigger where we would have fished. Good call remaining on the bass I guess!

Today was just another great outing filled with all kinds of action. Even in the big winds, we were able to land our targeted species, multiple times. We had finally managed to get out after so many failed attempts this season. I’m sure this won’t be the last time, with plenty more days left before freeze up. Hopefully we will continue to have more great fishing ahead. Who knows, maybe for some giant fall eyes next time!!

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September 16th 2018

Satoru was with me today, all the way from Tokyo Japan. He was working in Montreal for 6 months and wanted to fish for something big. I knew just where to go and headed directly for the sturgeon in hopes of hooking him up!

I was surprised to see only one other boat when we arrived and began searching for the fish. Once found, I dropped anchor and waited for the first bite. Unfortunately we were plagued with small fish and likely gobies as well because I was re baiting the hooks often. Eventually however, I did get the right bite and set into something with weight. Satoru was about to fight the biggest fish of his life! He couldn’t believe the strength it had and struggled to hang on at first. I guess he just figured that he would be able to reel it in right away! Ten minutes later and exhausted, he was finally able to bring it close enough for me to net. Although fighting it was tough, he soon realized that holding it for the pics was even harder. In the end, he was bear hugging the sturgeon just to hang on for the shots. A quick release and back it went!

With conditions almost perfect for fishing, I knew we would get into more. I did have to make a move though as the junk fish were just nibbling the baits like piranhas. He even reeled in a small walleye that had gotten hooked from this spot!

Our second location saw some signs of life and I was convinced that something would bite. We had waited quite a while for it to happen but when it did, it was another good one. I reared back on the rod and loaded it for Satoru to battle. This one fought different than his first and made some great long runs. Surprisingly though, neither of them jumped! The fights last longer when they don’t exert themselves by breaching. This battle was epic as he looked like he was reeling in a cement block! The whole thing took place on the bottom and it wasn’t until he had changed sides multiple times before it actually began to come up. It looked giant in the water but it wasn’t thick. I also noticed a huge lamprey attached to its fin and hoped it wouldn’t fall off before I had it in the net.

This was the first time this season that I actually used the tarp for the fish as I saw how much Satoru struggled with his previous one. I lifted it out of the water and onto the plastic to protect it and make it easier to grab for the pics. I was also happy to see that the lamprey had fallen off in the boat and cut its head off immediately. Hateful things! Despite bringing the fish into the boat to make it easier for Satoru, he still struggled to pick it up for the photos. Another bear hug shot and back it went!

We fished for the remainder of the day hoping for a few more bites but were only able to get nibbles from smaller fish. I also made several moves and re anchored many times in the process. The afternoon wasn’t easy and the boat traffic didn’t help either. We were forced to hold the rods almost the entire time as we were rocking and rolling from all the waves. I think everyone was out today with this weekend being so nice! We were even checked by conservation officers for our licenses and possible fish on board. Nice to see them out, finally!

Satoru had hoped to catch a big fish today and he did just that, twice! I could have taken him for bass, pike or even walleye, but he wanted something that he could remember and brag about back home. Sturgeon was definitely the way to go! I only wish that we could have landed a few more of these dinosaurs but we were still happy with our results. It’s always a little tougher with the summer daytime heat but eventually the fall will arrive. Cooler nights and dropping water temps will have the fish a little more active soon enough. I can’t wait both for the colder weather and also less boat traffic on the water. Better days to come!!

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September 15th 2018

Ray had booked a day with me a while back as a birthday gift for his girlfriend, Alena. He was hoping to get into some sturgeon and I was pretty sure we would. I just didn’t know how big or how many they would catch!

With this being the weekend, I knew there would be other boats on the water and I just hoped the traffic wouldn’t be too bad, this late in the year. A quick idle over the area had us anchored up in no time. With the lines in, all we could do is wait!

I had been marking some good fish on the screen but it took quite a while before we had our first bite. When I reared back to set on the fish, I only got a piece of it and I felt the hook pop out. Too bad as this one had some weight! We continued fishing the area and eventually I set into something that didn’t really feel like a sturgeon, but Alena reel in a very small one. Although not what I wanted, it was the right species. We remained on this spot for a while longer but eventually moved to another area nearby and re anchored. I had seen good concentrations of fish here and was sure things would get better.

We had been getting plenty of bites with our move but mostly by junk fish. It turned out that we were able to land two bass and one sucker but were still awaiting our first real sturgeon. They were now understanding what was needed when the fish hit and on one of the bites, Ray set into something quite heavy. He finally had the fish we were looking for but it too came unpinned after about 10 seconds. More disappointment was had, as he was left with a slack line once again!

With not much action going on, I decided to idle over the area again looking for some fish. While I was searching, we were flagged down by someone that was hooked up here as well. They weren’t really prepared for what they had on the line nor rigged with proper tackle either. We helped them out after waiting for quite a while by netting their fish. I even had to get in their boat and show them how to hold the fish for the pics. The only good thing about all of this was that they actually released the sturgeon instead of keeping it like so many others do!

After the ordeal, I continued my search for more fish and eventually anchored up on a few good marks. I had hoped that Karma would bring us some good luck with the good deed we had just done!

As it was mid afternoon now the boat waves were at a high with all the traffic on the water. We were forced to hold the rods instead of actually leaving them in the rod holders and everyone felt for their next bite! This isn’t a bad thing as you can feel just about everything, including all the floating weeds that gather on the line drifting in the current. I had to bring the lines in several times just to take the weight of the debris off the lines. Eventually I did feel a bite though and set into a nice fish for Alena to battle. This thing fought really well and she finally got to feel the power of these sturgeon.

With all lines in and the area cleared, Alena battled her fish for almost ten minutes. It took her from one side of the boat to the other several times and I had to maneuver the rod around the motors a couple of times as well. Although it didn’t jump, it did give her quite a workout until I was able to net her catch. She had finally landed a fish worthy of some pics! It was quite funny watching her try to hold this thing but she managed to raise it up enough for a few good shots before the release. Little did she know that it wasn’t over yet!

I reset all the lines and got back to fishing and not long after, Alena had a bite. I instructed her on what to do and she was tight lined once again. This time however, she brought her fish to the boat much quicker as it was only a juvenile. Despite its size, it still fought like a champ and even jumped a couple of times as well.

We were back in after the release and about ten minutes later, Alena was locked up again. She definitely had the hot hand as she was putting on a clinic! This fish was in the medium size category but fought like a giant! It took to the air in a spectacular jump that Ray was able to capture while he was filming. She also knew what to do now as she had battled a couple of others already. After a lengthy battle filled with many runs, I was finally able to net what turned out to be the last fish of the day.

Although we continued fishing for a while longer, we weren’t fortunate enough to get any more bites and eventually packed up and headed back. This was a great birthday present for Alena as she got to do battle with several sturgeon, for her very first time. Ray on the other hand wasn’t as fortunate as he only had one chance and the hook just pulled out. Despite the disappointment of losing his fish, he couldn’t have been happier for Alena! She had done battle with a few dinosaurs and won! What a great way to spend your birthday!!